Jan's Post-Holiday Reflections

After an extremely awesome time in New Zealand it was emotional saying good bye to the best “Roomy” and “Story Teller” (Katie) and Cycling Hubby (Phil).

I updated my ticket to business class using my air miles and as you can see lots of room and a chair that turned into a bed. Watched the end of “12 Years a Slave” and Philomena (both of which made me cry), then had a much needed kip!!

The only word to sum up the trip is AWESOME (which stands for Amazing, Wonderful, Energetic, Spectacular, Outstanding, Magnificent, Everlasting Memories). I enjoyed every minute of New Zealand well almost that’s apart from the downhill with the strong and gusty wind on the way to Queens Town. I was so scared that I was going to come off the bike as it was so difficult to control under those conditions!!!

The scenery was just awesome , my favourite views were cycling to Westport to the seal colony and seeing the view of the beach, rocks and sea as we approached and the view of Matheson Lake.

I have to say my favourite Lamb shank was in Fox (2^nd night), favourite Pizza was in MataMata, favourite Salmon was in MossBurn and favourite Roast Beef was in Greymouth. Best Cuppa due to the size of the milk jug was on the way to Wanaka.

Of course Steve’s breakfasts were just the best and a great idea to bring everyone together before setting off for the days adventure. On the day s we had breakfast in the hotels they were not a patch on his.

Our rest days consisted of other activities. The Glacier walk was excellent followed by a walk around Lake Matheson.

I lost half a stone whilst away which is an added bonus!! Just need to keep it off now.

After the long flights home I was in bed by 9pm as I could no longer keep my eyes open but I did wake up 2 hours later and had to get up and read the “Blog”. Although I have to say it’s more exciting when Katie reads it. Katie do you think you could record the blog so that I can listen to your voice with my hot chocolate and two biscuits?!

The following morning I woke up with no sign of Katie or my Cuppa then realised it was time to go back to work. I am not sure anything can beat this adventure but Steve has sent through pictures of the Pacific Coast trip so who knows!!!

Tonight (Tuesday) I have been out for a 20 mile cycle and OMG how many pot holes are out there?! So different to the well kept roads in New Zealand. Even prefer the loose stones!!

Brisbane to Dubai to Heathrow to Le nid

I'd stealed myself for 20hours to Dubai but hadn't accounted for stoppage times so it was a mere 14! 

Which passed with no worries indeed, I had quite a few reasonable sleeps and the salmon we concluded was actually very tasty!

Watched Philomena and nearly cried, later watched Bill Nighy in About Time and definitely cried. Think there's some raging emotions at the flood gates/imminent Heathrow security gates!

So at Dubai, Phil and I said goodbye to my roomy, with the promise of an epi-blog next week and the usual discussions of further cycling plans for 2014 and well beyond. Jan had used her airmiles to upgrade herself for the last push to Manchester. One last (mile high!) southern comfort and lemonade perhaps?!

I then went off to make use of the showers here, impressive security to stop intruders to the ladies shower area! 

Perused the duty free. I turned down a trolley to push all my ever-increasing toot around in and the arabian man seemed so taken with my powers he bowed and put his fist to his chest!! Haha😄 I'm going to assume the majority of arabian women don't enjoy the exercise of lugging everything about! 

Adding the bike box to the mix in London is gonna be rather entertaining, 1 arm is already trailing notably lower than the other oo ooo ooo🍌🍌🍌

(Later)

Last push to Heathrow was smooth, moved my seat to front of row so lots of fidgeting room, although you do get the proximity of any weirdos who need to pace up and down for hours on end. Fortunately I love a bit of people watching. 7hours later I had major ants in my pants to whizz through passports and  get my bike back. After badgering the men in luminous jackets enough times they took pity and out came my box, bid farewell to Phil (who was well aware of my eagerness to see who was waiting through the nothing to declare) and sped as fast as I could into his arms.

He had to gently remind me after a period of time that even though we had Monday off, we probably didn't want to spend it on the concourse😍😍

Summary: The best bike holiday adventure I could have wished for. 

Auckland Hotel to Airport to City to Airport to Hotel to Airport to Brisbane

I think we might have had our latest night of February last night as it was gone 11pm by the time it was bedtime story and lights out chez Katie et Jan!! 

My sleep pattern seems to have regressed the last few days to that of a young child in December, who keeps waking up thinking is it today? Do I get to see him yet?! One more non-sleep to go😃

We all met for 7.30am breakfast and were off to Auckland on the first of many bus trips today. The hotel is unfortunately on an industrial park outside of Auck, near the airport. Great for airport access, not so great for a quick nip into the city, but undeterred the three of us were off. No point wasting the best part of a day in a motel, there's enough loafing about to come.

While on the bus on the way into Auckland vowel humour yet again raised it's head. 'e' (as in pen) is pronounced as 'i' (as in pin) and 'i' as 'e' in kiwi land, so I had a little smirk at "Coming up to the first of our six stops". 

On the Milford boat only our table seemed to keep chortling at all the deck-related warnings: "Slippery on deck"....you get the idea haha.

Jan and Phil trotted off to get the ferry to Devonport and I went off to The Tepid Baths!! May as well end the holiday as it started, in the pool. 

My shoulders certainly enjoyed a good unravelling after all that cycling and I bashed out 100 lengths quite comfortably.

Ulterior motive was also to try and wear myself out a bit to aid some snoozing later, it'll never work haha, all too exciting!!

Bought myself a couple of sports bra tops (well, they're light!) as plenty of activities on the cards the next six months and it'll be nice to be reminded of this energetic country in dark times😄

Pleased that I managed to get myself on the right buses back to the hotel, just in time for a last little bit of r&r with our workaholic leader:

We all made it through the airport weigh in, bike boxes now pleasingly lower in weight, much like my roomy I would wager!

On board we were kept entertained by a film and my hourly blog review, fun reminiscing about a really marvellous holiday! 

Mid flight our neighbours became ruffled by being in the 'service deadspot', having been served last and then missed by the drinks. Being adjacent I cheerily piped up we had also unfortunately been missed and 'suffered' the same hardship on the way out as well as today. 15minutes later along came some champagne for us all, cheers!

Queenstown to Auckland

Today we had until about 2.30pm to amuse ourselves in Queenstown, until Steve took us and our bike boxes to the airport, for the first section of our flight homeward-bound.

The forecast was for wet last night so we all had no qualms in enjoying a few beverages in the pub. Last couple of days of 'Savs'- the bastardised kiwi pronunciation of Sauvignon.

From all my sampling Olympus Sav was the nicest🍸

After a relaxed start I decided to squeeze in my last long run here, as the rain was just a threat and the friendly receptionist seemed happy for me to have a few extra minutes in the room to shower after. 

Breakfast wasn't up to Steve's cardboard box surprise standard so minimal digestion time was needed (it was almost possible to inhale the miniscule amount of muesli) and I soon was running along the Frankton track and round to the falls. 6miles out before turning back.

It was rather lovely to know my other half was doing exactly the same on the other side of the world.

I think the receptionist was still bowled over by the romance of yesterday's floral surprise as she couldn't stop telling me how nothing like that ever happens. And I grinned like the cyclist who's just found a motel room with a bath.

Quick shower then off into the now drizzly weather to walkabout a bit. Bought a couple more (light) souvenirs, as my weight allowance is no doubt right on the wire and every gram counts.

Bumped into my companions who were also playing dodge the rain. 

The rain had stopped by 13.30 and snow could now be seen on the tops:

Mother Nature's helping to ease the transition further, the temperature here can't be much different to the UK and locals now have winter to look forward to, whereas we have Spring and all the fun that that will bring🏊🚴🌿🏡🏃❤️

....now we are at the airport getting excited about the in flight refreshments. I'm still feeling muddled about the BIG flight back in time, does that mean we just keep being given breakfasts over and over again?

It's now 23.00. The bike boxes have been reorganised, aiming for 30kg. There was a bit of shuffling around at Queenstown to get under 23kg. I now know my seat post weighs 1.2kg and socks and other slightly whiffy items 1.3kg.

The security man was very pleasant examining my bag and generally staff as amenable as can be, treating us as humans rather than cattle.

I noted it took the time to drink two cups of water, read two blog entries to jan and phil, watch a funny nz safety notice, eat a cookie and read 8 pages of my book to fly the distance it took us 21 days to cycle. 

Te Anau to Milford to Te Anau to Queenstown

Well, feeling very much like frauds after an early breakfast, we travelled to Milford, on the coach.

Phil complained of an achy bum within half an hour and most of the peleton had devoured their packed lunch by 11am. All this resting is definitely bad for you!

The coach driver was rather entertaining, with a dry sense of humour. Just as well as we were all under major attack from the yawns.

We were also, in our new stationary mode, under attack from the pesky sandflies again. So a quick change into leggings (and the opportunity to explain compression wear to Kim). I'm not sure whether some of the local elders have come across Skins before and wearing lycra almost felt a bit embarrassing! Phil gave me some reassurances☺️

The boat was full and it was rather a shock to be in such close proximity to so many other humans after so much time alone on the open road. 

Fortunately the Real Journey Company didn't spot Jan boarding else the free tea/coffee offer would no doubt have been swiftly withdrawn.

Most fellow boat trippers in fact seemed to be on board to eat their way through the trip, focusing their attention on how many sandwiches and snacks they could stuff in, while casting an occasional eye on the surroundings. The fodder for Graham's somewhat cynical observations of nature were boundless today.

The weather was good, dry. Which is a rare thing here by all accounts.

Much to my amusement quite a few fellow trippers got a soaking when we went close to a large waterfall, I had cannily scurried away in time.

The boat journeyed toward the Tasman Sea and a gentle swell affirmed Steve was indeed better off driving the bikes back to Queenstown, rather than being here hunting for sick bags.

Seeing some seals was nice, all chilled out on their rocks and Kim caught a glimpse of a dolphin fin, while doing her Kate Winslett impression.

On the coach on the way back we were frequently given the chance to take in some more of nature's majesty: The Chasm, Mirror Lakes, Knob's Flat (lots I could say here but won't!) For some, it was just too much like hard work to get off the coach again:

The trip was rounded off by getting to our room at Queenstown and yet further realisation what a very lucky lady I am indeed❤️ Home is totally where my heart is.

Mossburn to Te Anau

The cycle adventure is now complete as we have reached Te Anau, a small town on the edge of yet another beautiful lake, on the edge of fjordland.

I was up awake before the larks today, having felt so shattered last night by 9pm I even hinted to Jan if she didn't get a wriggle on into her bed there might be no bed time story! Hence me then being awake at 5.30am😄

So I was off almost as early as Kim this morning.

I think my body had made it so, as I have enjoyed riding by myself most of the time and it felt right to round off the last day riding like that.

It was chilly first thing but deceptive weather again, as evidenced by my pinkish arm from yesterday. But we were all (except Jan!) pretty much covered up til the coffee stop at 36miles. Manapouri was a wonderful oasis of sparkling water and mountains after the browny hillsides.

I seemed to be hunting that mountain peak for ages, suspecting a visual treat would make the blustery miles well worth it and we were not disappointed, again😄

From there, topped up on nuts, it was only 14miles to our final destination:

I felt a wave of lots of feelings as I pulled up alongside the lake and luckily there were some holiday makers I could babble my accomplishment to, and ask to take a picture with me in!

So now the 1314miles are done, 85.5 hours cycling in the legs. And all of a sudden I feel really really tired!!

My bike has been brilliant, no issues at all except a minor gear cable adjustment. 

So now he's all packed up, snug in his box, ready for the first leg of the journey back up to Auckland.

We have 3 days of leisure pursuits ahead and tomorrow we're off to Milford Sound for a boat trip. A restful day. With that thought in mind, decided to go and have a run round the lake to try and find the famous Keplar trail. Made it to Dock Bay, 4miles away. That film where the heroine is in a lush forest, with shafts of sunlight glinting through the magical gnarly trees, when she stumbles across a unicorn.....well I was in that wood! No unicorn but another really wonderful memory😄

Queenstown to Mossburn

I'm starting to suspect my roomy is suffering from body dys-tannia. This morning a little liverpudlian voice piped up next to me  "I don't think I'm that brown". I turned to look at the smiling conker next to me and replied that I'm not sure it's possible to be any more suntanned.

So, penultimate day on the bikes! We left Queenstown behind and spent the first 20miles alongside Lake Wakatipu, in the shade of the mountains, so a bit fresh.

I kept thinking of Grieg, in the Hall of the Mountain King do de do de do do dooooo.

After 28miles it was time for a little stop and the mood was holidayish and relaxed with myself, Kim, Steve and Donna supping a beverage. The sun felt powerful but the air was cool, unusual weather. So it was a bit of a top on/ top off/top on/top off morning.

Jan and Phil caught up at the next stop at 46miles. Jan's gear cable had snapped leaving Queenstown, so Steve had performed an earlier rescue. Here's a picture of her usual rescuer:

The rescue must have quite worn Steve out as you can see, running a Bike Adventure trip is jolly hard work:

The mountains were sun-scorched brown grass today and most of the day it all hardly looked real.

Sometimes I still can't quite believe I'm cycling through New Zealand, so perhaps it's not!

Lots of sheep today, who all look a bit baffled by a bike whizzing by. I think the farmer looked a bit bemused earlier too when he saw me have a quick piddle on the side of the road too haha. I do love being at one with nature!

The last 20miles felt a bit of a slog, the road disappeared into the horizon and our arch enemy the headwind was back!

I arrived at Mossburn Hotel/pub and after a bit of banter with the friendly barman and a chase by the local Jack Russell got in and showered. 

Am now installed in the garden in the sun!

Mike made a good observation earlier at breakfast about the trip. If you go on holiday for a couple of weeks you're left wanting more, but after nearly 4 weeks away, going home becomes as appealing. It feels very much like you can have the best of both worlds😍

70miles today and last washing of the cycling shorts!